Meet the Team
Meredith C.B. Adams, MD, MS
Dr. Adams is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Artificial Intelligence, Translational Neuroscience, and Public Health Sciences. She researches, teaches, and practices pain medicine at Wake Forest. She completed her anesthesiology and pain medicine training/chief residency at Johns Hopkins. She is a NIH funded researcher board certified in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, and Clinical Informatics. Dr. Adams oversees a portfolio exceeding $27 million, indicative of her groundbreaking contributions to the field.. Beyond research roles, she has several other leadership roles, including sitting on boards that improve anesthesia and healthcare outcomes for all populations. She is dedicated to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion. Dr. Adams is committed to excellence and innovation in the world of health IT.
Robert W. Hurley, MD, PhD, FASA
Dr. Hurley stands at the forefront of anesthesiology and pain medicine, focusing on pain diagnosis and treatment. As a revered NIH-funded scientist and seasoned leader, he brings unparalleled expertise to clinical care, research, education, and operations. He's adept at spearheading large, multidisciplinary teams to innovate and enhance pain and spine departments at an enterprise level, aiming to elevate the quality of team-based patient care while streamlining operational efficiency. His commitment extends beyond his clinical roles to fostering faculty professional and personal development. At Wake Forest University School of Medicine, he not only serves as Associate Dean but also champions the advancement of faculty and providers, cultivating a culture of team-science and inclusive practice
Cara McDonnell, MPH, CPH
Ms. McDonnell received her MPH at the University of Florida and went on to work in the College of Medicine for six years. Currently, she is the Program Manager for Dr. Adams overseeing her entire portfolio of awards. She has over six years of experience in health research and four years project management and coordinating complex, multi-site, federally funded awards.
Ariana Nelson, MD
Dr. Nelson is a board-certified anesthesiologist who specializes in interventional pain management, as well as in acute and chronic pain. Dr. Nelson is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, UCI School of Medicine. She earned a medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.. Nelson's research interests include aerospace medicine and exploring the medical capabilities and resources needed for space exploration. She is working with NASA on the upcoming Artemis expeditions for lunar orbital and surface missions. She also studies objective measurements of pain, opioid-related side effects, substance-use disorder and how cannabis may be used to alleviate pain.
Amber Brooks, MD
Dr. Brooks is a Board-Certified Anesthesiologist and Comprehensive Pain Management Physician who specializes in treating a variety of different pain conditions using a multimodal approach. Throughout her career, she has sought to use medicine as a conduit for justice and equity through her clinical work, teaching, clinical research focused on vulnerable populations, and community engagement. In July 2020, she was appointed the Justice Thread Director at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. She also serves as the inaugural Vice Chair of Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department of Anesthesiology at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
Jae Yong, MS
Mr. Yong received his MS in Statistics from North Carolina State. Currently, Mr. Yong is the lead Biostatistician on the team and analyzes diverse and complex datasets such as claims data, EHR data, CMS data, IQVIA data, and other public data sources. Prior work includes Engineering Program Management at Apple and Product Engineer at Texas Instruments.
David Kline, PhD
Dr. Kline is an Assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He serves on the faculty in the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention and the Department of Statistical Science. Additionally, he co-leads the Spatial and Environmental Statistics in Health (SESH) Lab. His research is focused on developing biostatistical methodology to overcome challenges in public health surveillance and address key problems in population health and epidemiology. Public health surveillance involves the analysis and interpretation of health-related data essential to planning, implementing and evaluating public health policy and practice.
Selvin Ohene, MS
Mr. Ohene has 18 years of experience in clinical research. Prior to joining Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSOM) in June of 2015, Mr. Ohene spent 6 years managing the operations and staff of clinical trial offices at Tufts Medical Center and Boston Medical Center. Over his career, he has helped implement clinical trial management systems and align research billing activities to be compliant with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines. In his current role, Mr. Ohene oversees operations and is responsible for fiscal management of the budget for the Office of Clinical Research, which provides the central clinical research infrastructure to the principal investigators of clinical research studies across the Atrium Health enterprise.
Valerie McMahon, PACE
Ms. McMahon has worked with Dr. Hurley and Dr. Adams for almost seven years. During this time, her roles have included Pain Service Line Coordinator, Fellowship Coordinator, Pain Medicine and Senior Administrative Assistant to Dr. Hurley. She has also recently received her Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence.